NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Potterville, MI
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Potterville, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 79 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 79
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Potterville
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Potterville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Potterville begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 59 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Potterville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 79 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 2, 1977, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on August 24, 2023, killed 2 people. Of the 79, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Potterville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1957, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Potterville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 70% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Potterville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Potterville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Potterville: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Potterville
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s5
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s15
- 1970s15(1 EF3+)
- 1960s13(3 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1977 | F4 | 8 mi | 16.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 15 mi | 21 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 20 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Aug 24, 2007 | EF3 | 1 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 19 mi | 14.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 22 mi | 12.02 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 22 mi | 19 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Aug 14, 1988 | F2 | 14 mi | 26.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 20 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 27, 1989 | F2 | 16 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 1986 | F2 | 6 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 79, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Potterville
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Potterville since 1957, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 23, 2004. The most recent report is from June 20, 2024. June has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Potterville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Charlotte, MI, 8 miles southwest of Potterville at 902 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 15°F. May is the wettest at 4.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 35.8 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 149 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 35.8 inches is more than at 90 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (69%). Dimondale, 5 miles east, has its own station (East Lansing 4 S, MI): 34.6 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 15 | 2.3 | 6 | 14.9 |
| Feb | 33 | 16 | 1.7 | 5 | 4.4 |
| Mar | 43 | 24 | 2.3 | 6 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 57 | 35 | 3.4 | 7 | 1.0 |
| May | 68 | 46 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 56 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 60 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 58 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 50 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 40 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 46 | 30 | 2.7 | 7 | 2.1 |
| Dec | 35 | 22 | 2.2 | 6 | 9.6 |
| Year | 57 | 38 | 35.8 | 78 | 38.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Charlotte, MI (902 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Potterville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 71 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Potterville: 69 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flash flood and 1 flood. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $17.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 29, 2011.
August 24, 2023: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Potterville — 2 killed, $10.0 million damage.
August 24, 2023: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Potterville — $5.0 million damage.
May 29, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Potterville — $1.0 million damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Eaton County, which includes Potterville, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Eaton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $30.0 million a year, the 22nd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.0 million (53%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.